Slaughters regains top spot on FTSE100 list
Slaughter and May has reestablished its position as the leading firm for FTSE100 companies, pushing Linklaters down into second place.
Paul Olney
The latest quarterly figures from Hemscott show Slaughters as adviser to 28 of the top 100 UK corporates, with Linklaters boasting 23 clients. In August both firms had 25 clients, the first time Slaughters had not been out in front on its own since the rankings began in 2005.
Allen & Overy (A&O) has slipped to third place with 16 clients, behind Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Herbert Smith, which have 18 apiece.
Slaughters partner Paul Olney said he was pleased the firm regained the top spot, but he did not “attach a great deal of weight” to the changing rankings.
He told The Lawyer: “More often than not they represent movement of clients [in and out of the top 100], but over time it does show a robust performance.”
This time Slaughters benefited from two of its clients, Burberry and Whitbread, moving into the top 100, while it has also been listed as joint adviser for new client Centrica alongside A&O, Herbert Smith and offshore firm Ogier.
Linklaters has kept its position as the top firm in terms of its clients’ market capitalisation, upping its share from £51.7m to £55.4m, while Freshfields moved up to second place.
Pinsent Masons led the way on the AIM list ahead of LG, DLA Piper and Eversheds. The only change in the AIM top five was Memery Crystal, which replaced Norton Rose in fifth place.
